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. 2025 Jul 23;13(3):95.
doi: 10.3390/medsci13030095.

Impact of Catheter Ablation on Functional Capacity and Cardiac Stress Markers in Patients with Premature Ventricular Contractions

Vasileios Cheilas  1 , Athanasios Dritsas  1 , Antonios Martinos  1 , Evangelia Gkirgkinoudi  1 , Giorgos Filandrianos  2 , Anastasios Chatziantoniou  1 , Ourania Kariki  1 , Panagiotis Mililis  1 , Athanasios Saplaouras  1 , Anna Kostopoulou  1 , Konstantinos Letsas  1 , Michalis Efremidis  1
Affiliations

Impact of Catheter Ablation on Functional Capacity and Cardiac Stress Markers in Patients with Premature Ventricular Contractions

Vasileios Cheilas et al. Med Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are common arrhythmias associated with symptoms such as fatigue and, in severe cases, PVC-induced cardiomyopathy. Catheter ablation (CA) is a primary treatment for symptomatic PVCs, particularly when pharmacological therapies fail or are undesired. While improvements in: quality-of-life following ablation are documented, its impact on functional capacity remains underexplored. Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of CA on functional capacity and cardiac stress markers in patients with symptomatic PVCs using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and NT-proBNP levels. Methods: A total of 30 patients underwent successful PVC ablation and completed baseline and follow-up CPET evaluations under the Bruce protocol. PVC burden, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), NT-proBNP levels, and CPET parameters, including VO2 max, METS, ventilatory efficiency, and anaerobic threshold (AT), were analyzed pre- and post-ablation. Results: PVC burden significantly decreased post-ablation (23,509.3 ± 10,700.47 to 1759 ± 1659.15, p < 0.001). CPET revealed improved functional capacity, with VO2 max increasing from 24.97 ± 4.16 mL/kg/min to 26.02 ± 4.34 mL/kg/min (p = 0.0096) and METS from 7.16 ± 1.17 to 7.48 ± 1.24 (p = 0.0103). NT-proBNP significantly decreased (240.93 ± 156.54 pg/mL to 138.47 ± 152.91 pg/mL, p = 0.0065). LVEF and ventilatory efficiency metrics (VE/VO2 and VE/VCO2) remained stable. Conclusions: Catheter ablation improves functional capacity, reduces cardiac stress, and minimizes medication dependency in patients with symptomatic PVCs. These findings support the utility of ablation in enhancing aerobic capacity and overall exercise performance.

Keywords: NT-proBNP; cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET); catheter ablation; functional capacity; premature ventricular contractions (PVCs).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The sponsors had no role in the design, execution, interpretation, or writing of the study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Improvement in peak oxygen uptake (VO2 max) following catheter ablation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Increase in metabolic equivalent of task (METS) after catheter ablation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Reduction in NT-proBNP levels after PVC ablation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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